Frood
by Katrina Marie Lupin
Summary: When the Doctor meets up with Ford Prefect and confiscates his now-illegal Improbability Drive, he finds himself tempted - could this be a way to return to his lost Rose? Just a bit of Hitchhiker's Crossover, but Adams was kind enough to allow his canon t
1. Chapter 1

"John"  
He bit back a curse. "Yeah"  
"Do you want me to bring your tea down"  
He looked down at the beast of a machine at his feet, and got a rather rebellious vibe from it. Glaring stonily at it, he replied, "Nah, give me a tick, I'll be right up." Giving it a threatening finger, he hissed, "Do that again, and see what happens." He tossed his tool onto the table and made his way into the main house and down the hall, where his wife was waiting.  
She smiled at him. "Hello, darling"  
"Hello, yourself," he replied, greeting her with a kiss as he joined her where his tea was waiting.  
"How goes things"  
"Ah, she's being the Devil today," he answered, taking up his cup and sipping at it. He gave a very happy sigh before turning back to her. "Have I ever told you that you make the most excellent tea"  
She grinned. "I think so, maybe once or twice." They smiled together, and he helped himself to a biscuit.  
"So, you gonna go back and work on her for the rest of the day, or can I steal you for a bit"  
He looked up at her, curious. "Depends on the stealing," was his smirking reply.  
"Well..." She untucked her legs from beneath her and slipped an envelope from under the paper that was sitting on the small table. She held it out to him, and he took it curiously. "I have tickets to go see Wicked," she said, as he pulled out the bright green pieces of paper. He gaped at them in awe for a moment, and then gave her a grin.  
"Brilliant!" He examined the tickets closer, beaming. "Oh, this is brilliant! I've always wanted to see that"  
"I know," she answered, a happy smile on her face. "If you'd like to go"  
"Would I ever!" he answered, and he turned to take her face in his hands and planted a big one on her, who took it happily. "This is wonderful, thanks! Let me go cover her up, and I'll get meself ready to go." He thumbed towards the hall, down which was the door to the garage/workshop he claimed as his own. He quickly gulped down the rest of his tea with a satisfied sigh, got up, and gave her another kiss on the temple as he practically skipped out of the room. Very pleased with herself, she sipped her own tea with delight.  
At the garage, he quickly punched in the seven-digit code and entered in, closing the door behind him. The fruit of his labours seemed to look up as he entered, cheekily pleased to see him.  
"So sorry, love," he told her without the slightest trace of sympathy, and in fact, a bit of cockiness. "It seems today's play date is over for you and I"  
Picking up his jacket, which he'd took off earlier, he slipped it back on, and collected the spare tools lying about, and deposited them in another locked chest. The machine chirrupped in his mind, but he shook his head, a grin still on his face.  
"Oh, no, you don't. Not after that stunt you pulled earlier," he told the machine. "You are going to go nighty night for another week"  
It gave a sputter.  
"Well, that's what happens when you bite me," he replied, cross. "And besides that, Rose and I are going to go watch Wicked, which I've been wanting to see for some time"  
Another telepathic whine.  
"Actually, they are rather hard to get, I'll assure you, and even still, she's a tangible human being, and as of yet, you are nothing more than a conscious machine. I'm sorry, but she wins as of yet"  
A growl from the machine as he pulled the sheet on top of it.  
"Oh, hush you. I'll be back next Saturday. Until then, you get to stay here, and think of what you've done." He patted it cheekily, and then retrieved his screwdriver from where he'd left it, and popped it in his pocket. It was nowhere near as nice as the one he used to have, but then, he didn't have much need for a lot of the controls and messaging systems that a TARDIS pilot found handy, as he didn't have a TARDIS.  
Well... yet. His pet project was an attempt to get a machine much like his own beloved TARDIS had been, although she was proving to be difficult. That he didn't have much time to tinker with her was half of the reason she was so difficult, although the fact that she was still very young didn't help. She might be less temperamental with time.  
"Well," he said again, grinning as he reached for the light switch. "Cheerio!" He bathed the room in darkness, and gave his trinkets and hobby creations a last salute as he closed the door behind him, the deadlock immediately sealing shut as he made his way back down the hall, where Rose was just finishing her tea.  
She smiled at the sight of him. "All locked up"  
"Yeah, but she's a bit upset by that. I think she's just jealous"  
Rose giggled. "I don't doubt it. You're a very attractive man"  
"Oh, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" he asked, leaning over the back of the couch. They shared a deep kiss before parting and smiling softly at each other. He gave the tickets on the table an eye. "Say, when is this show"  
She turned to the clock on the wall. "In another hour or so"  
"Well, it takes nearly that long to get there in traffic..." he mused aloud as she started collecting their tea things on the tray.  
"It's a Thursday, though, and an early showing. I'd say we could get there in twenty minutes," she reassured him. At that, they both looked at each other, the same idea in their heads. He let a curious eyebrow rise, and she gave him a mischievous grin.  
He slipped around and stole her hands from where they were on the tea tray, and lifted her up off the couch before drawing her into his arms.  
"What say you we make the most of that time, then?" he asked, his voice like a soft purr, one hand in the small of her back, the other on a hip. She joined her hands behind his neck, sticking her tongue out in that cute little grin of hers.  
"After you, Doctor," she replied. Grinning devilishly, he stole a kiss from her, and together they moved out of the room.

Grumbling, the Doctor flipped another few switches and typed something into the computer. Still, the response was not what he wanted to hear.  
"'LISA!" he called.  
In her room, Elisa sighed. Whenever he didn't fully pronounce the "E", it usually meant that they were going somewhere - or that he was very displeased. Those both seemed to coincide every so often, though.  
"Coming," she called, throwing down her book with a growl as she got off her bed. It seemed like every time she hit a good snog scene, some big emergency showed up. She stalked her way down the dormitory hall and arrived in the console, managing to get her annoyance flushed out for innocent curiousity.  
"What's up?" she asked.  
"We're about to crash into someone else's ship," he answered. He looked up to see her gaping at him in disbelief. "Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing." She gave him a dubious look as he danced around the controls, switching this and that before finally look up at her to see she was already holding on, and pulling the last lever. He grabbed hold, quick, and there was a great thrashing about before the TARDIS landed in a heap.  
"Should I ask?" she finally asked, not bothering to hide her frustration this time. He gave her a 'trust me, you don't want to know' look in respond, and hurried to the doors, grabbing his coat as he did. She followed him with a sigh as he pulled one of the doors open. Outside, they appeared to be in someone else's ship, and the crew was gaping at the blue box that had just materialised out of nowhere.  
"Who's captaining this ship?" the Doctor roared, fury on his face. Discreet and worried eyes pointed towards a nearby console, behind which a wary head appeared. At the sight of the blue box and the yelling man, rather than panicking, he gave a startled laugh.  
"You must be the Doctor!" He stood, an unbelieving look on his face as he came back around and held out a hand.  
The Doctor looked to it for a moment, and then back at the captain's face.  
"...Ford?" he asked, not sure if he was truly seeing what he thought he was seeing.  
The captain gave an enthusiastic nod. "Yeah! Zarkin' frood, Doctor, you dog!" He gave the Doctor a great hug, which the Doctor took with some wariness. The captain pulled back. "Man, you're looking good! It's a new face, but I do like it, better than the last one you got. He was a little..." The dark skinned alien made a whistling sound as he made a circle around his temple with a finger.  
"I'll have you know I still remember the last time we met, Ford," he answered sharply. At which he gave a sheepish grin.  
"Right... Say, how's Gallifrey? I'm working on another copy of the Guide, I could update the entry," he answered quickly, trying to change the subject.  
Elisa paled. That never helped.  
The Doctor, too, went dark. "Never mind her." He crossed his arms, glaring at the man before him. "Say it's 'mostly nonexistent' and that'd be all we'd need from you. Would you like to tell me how you're in my galaxy?" he asked, venom in his voice.  
"Well, uh..." Ford backed away, trying to distance himself from the silently fuming Time Lord. He gestured discreetly to a not-so-discreet button on the console, the blue light shining within it telling of some great power. "I-I kind of have an Improbability Drive"  
"I'm sorry, did you say 'Improbability Drive?'" the Doctor answered, twisting a pinky finger into his ear. "Because I could have sworn you'd said 'Improbability Drive"  
"Well, he did, sir." The Doctor, Elisa, Ford and the rest of the crew looked to a portly crewman, who shrunk under all of the attention. "It-it is an Improbability Drive. We've been using it to travel from place to place"  
It wasn't as if the Doctor didn't realise what it was used for, but he did turn to Ford once more with an accusing glare. "I distinctly recall those being illegal, and for some time now," he said, eyebrows barely visible through his hair. "And for a very good reason. Do you really want me to have to go Time Council on you? Because I really don't think you do"  
"No, that's... that's not necessary, no." Ford gave another sheepish grin as he looked to his feet. The crew seemed nervous as well, maybe not knowing exactly what that meant, but knowing it would be bad.  
"You there - " the Doctor said, turning to the man who'd spoken. "What's your name"  
"Wilkinson, sir," he answered, pale.  
"Wilkinson, I want you and two other men to uninstall that Drive right now," he ordered, very sharply, jabbing a finger at the offending blue button. "If it's not in my ship within the next twenty minutes, I'm tearing it out myself. Oh, and you'll want to find another way of teleporting about, Ford," he added, spitting out the name in disgust as he turned to the captain. "I find out you do anything else this stupid again, I swear, you will become an addition to my collection of lost souls"  
Ford swallowed quietly, not looking up at him, choosing wisely not to reply. His crew hurried about to get tools to take out the Drive, while one nearby opened the console to start disconnecting what he could by hand. The Doctor turned back to the TARDIS, Elisa warily looking after him.  
"Come on, Elisa," he hissed, stalking back into his ship.  
After he was gone, the girl looked to the captain, who was sitting, ashamed, in the middle of his ship. He didn't look up at her until she was standing right beside him.  
"So... what does that thing do?" she asked, gesturing toward the button that his men were frantically trying to uninstall.  
"It's an Improbability Drive," he answered. "It transports you through various universes and realities as a mode of travel. It's very unreliable, but you go so many interesting places." By the end he was smiling. Behind him, the computer informed him that the Improbability Drive had been disconnected, and he chanced a look at the TARDIS, one door ajar. "I should have thought about him," he said softly, still abashed. "I thought the Time Lords were all gone, but..." He shook his head. "I should've known that the Doctor was around." He stood up with a groan. "He's always around." One of the crewman approached Ford.  
"Captain. What do you recommend we do in place of the Improbability Drive, sir"  
"Whatever we have. And make sure it's not something illegal!" he added. "Last thing I need is another reason for him to scream," he muttered. He turned back to the girl. "So. You're his present companion"  
"Yeah," she answered with a humourless smirk. She got that a lot. "Name's Elisa. Peterson"  
"Ford Prefect," he said, grinning as he held out his hand. She shook it. "I will say, though... I've never seen the Doctor this tense. And something tells me it's not just the fact that the last time we met... Well, that the last time we met I was up to no good, and I got away." He chanced another glance at the TARDIS, to make sure the Doctor wouldn't catch him asking the question. Nevertheless, he leaned close and whispered, "Do you know what's eating him so bad"  
She bit back a sigh. She got that a lot, too. "Not completely, but mostly because I don't want to know. Jack Harness and Martha Jones are the ones to ask, but it has something to do with a girl named Rose - and I only know that because..." She noticed his attention had turned, and trailed his eyesight to see the Doctor, glaring in their direction. He didn't say anything, though, and instead watched the progress with the Improbability Drive.  
The fear he struck in their hearts was empowering, in a bitter way. He knew that he should be concerned about the way they glanced at him furtively, afraid he was going to breathe fire or some nonsense. It should bother him that they were feverishly working, and their captain was gossiping with Elisa. He was disappointed that Elisa was stooping to their company, but he felt a pang of guilt when he reminded himself that he wasn't being much company himself.  
With a cry of "I got it!", the crewman underneath the console slipped out from underneath, and the five of them all quickly snapped the console open. A pair of them gently raised the forbidden component in the air and, with victorious grins, turned to the Time Lord. He turned to his ship and opened the other door, then turned to them and gestured inside. They all moved together to get the piece of hardware - with conspicuous button, right on top - through the doors of the TARDIS, and placed it by the console. There were the typical comments of 'Bigger on the inside', which the Doctor ignored with a roll of his eyes. Elisa and Ford watched the Doctor join them and give orders as to where to put it, and Elisa found herself sighing.  
"Like this a lot?" he asked, trying to grin reassuringly, though there was concern in his eyes.  
"Increasingly," she answered. "Although, today is a bad day." She watched the crewmen shuffle out, eager to be gone of his presence. "He seems extra... anxious"  
"Well, I'll tell you one thing," Ford said, folding his arms. "A Time Lord can be a dangerous thing." He looked her in the eye. "Do take care of yourself"  
She met his gaze, understanding the sincerity of the advice, and finally nodded. At the TARDIS door, the Doctor peeked his head out, decidedly less infuriated, now that the device was under his own possession. He spotted Ford and Elisa watching him, and joined them.  
"So..." he started, his voice still tense. "Besides disobeying intergalactic law and ignoring your banishment from this galaxy, what are you up to, Ford Prefect"  
Ford grinned. "Just hitchhiking about. Until..." He looked at the ship he was in. "Well, the captain didn't survive an encounter with something less friendly." He turned back to the Doctor. "You know how it is, cocky captains, don't like being told what to do. I warn him it'll blow up, he ignored me. He's dead, and now I'm captain"  
"I can't honestly say I have had that exact circumstance before," the Doctor replied, cool, "But I can sympathise"  
Elisa looks to him, his harsh anger shifting to quiet, pensive sadness. This is a curious interaction. Most of the time it's him rushing about in his frantic dance, fixing whatever problem is there, and solving the puzzles, while causing as many heart attacks as possible. It seemed he was avoiding old faces, as this was only the second time she'd met someone who knew him, and the last one had been an accident as well.  
"Hey. How about a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster?" Ford offered, placing a kind hand on the Doctor's shoulder.  
He managed a weak mimic of a grin. "I haven't had one of those in a while"  
Ford grinned. "There we go!" He turned to Elisa. "How about you"  
She gave him a dubious look. "What is it"  
"What is it?" Ford echoed, incredulous. He beamed. "The alcoholic equivalent of a mugging!" She found his enthusiasm unnerving.  
"Well, let's have it, then," the Doctor interjected, hands in his pockets, the ghost of a smile on his face.  
"That's my man!" Ford said, grinning. He gestured for them to follow him. The spaceship was fairly simple in design, and wasn't covered with crazy alien tech like the TARDIS. She might even have wagered that Ford and his crew were human, but she'd learned the hard way that things weren't what they seemed. They came into a galley, finally, and Ford waved to a bar, which they sat at. Ford reached under the bar and pulled out a trio of martini glasses as well as a thermos of some sort. He poured a shot from the thermos into each cup and swirled them to allow the shot to stabilise in the atmosphere before handing one to the Doctor, and the other to Elisa, who looked at it warily. He replaced the thermos and held up his own to the Doctor.  
"To...spaceships," he said, nothing else coming to mind.  
The Doctor grinned. "Aye, to spaceships." They clinked their glasses, and Elisa tapped her own glass against theirs, though she found herself waiting for the Doctor to consume his, if only to prove it wasn't some alien poison.  
He downed it in one gulp, to the delight of Ford. He then gave a gasp and a cough, after which a puff of smoke escaped his mouth. The three of them watched it dissipate into the air, and the two aliens laughed. Now definitely put off by the drink, Elisa left hers on the table, while the Ford consumed his. As it hit his system, he gave a shout and shook his head, as if he'd just had his brain smashed by something. He gave a gasp, and then shook his head, coming to.  
"Damn good stuff," he muttered, fighting the temptation for another shot. He looked to the Doctor. "Care for another"  
"Nah, I don't like to drink much," he answered. "Although... if you have the fixin's for a banana daiquiri, I'll have one of those"  
Ford grinned. "Big banana fan"  
"The biggest ever," Elisa replied, glad to have something to add to the conversation.  
"Yeah..." The Doctor admitted. "I blame Jack Harness"  
At that moment, the computer rang out above them. "Captain, your presence is required at the bridge. Repeat: Captain, your presence is required at the bridge"  
"Ah. Duty calls." Ford grinned at them both. "Do excuse me"  
As he left, Elisa watched him go, wondering again if he was human. When he was gone, she turned to the Doctor.  
"So... How do you know these people"  
"That," he answered, nodding towards where Ford had left, "Was Ford Prefect, writer for The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. A bit rubbish, but I suppose it helps one make a living. Although, it has an excellent recipe for this stuff in it," he conceded, gesturing towards the drinks.  
She looked warily down at her own drink. "I don't think I'd dare risk it"  
He grinned. "Ah, it's just a drink." Then a look of thoughtfulness crossed his features. "Then again, they do say it's like having your head smashed in by a lemon wedge wrapped around a gold brick..." For a moment, he hung in his reverie, her staring at him unbelieving, but he eventually came to. "But what was I saying? Oh, yes. Pangalactic Gargle Blaster. A blast to the gargle!" He beamed at her, but she only pushed her drink towards him. He chuckled. "Very well. Waste not..." And proceeded to swallow it down. Again, he coughed, and expelled the noxious gases, looking up at the dark smoke with amusement.  
"And you want me to drink it when it does that to you?" she asked, gesturing towards the now fading smoke.  
"Bah. Just a bit of detox," he answered. He pushed their glasses towards the middle of the bar and stood. He turned to her with a smile. "Shall we then? Allons-y"  
In the bridge, Ford was just finishing talking with his crew. He turned to see the Doctor and Elisa approaching and grinned, pleased that he wouldn't have to walk down to the galley and back. "Ah, good to see you up here. We're about to take off. Is there anything else we can do for you, Doctor, or shall we say our goodbyes"  
The Doctor thought on him for a moment, and then held out his hand. "I suppose we shall say our goodbyes." Gratefully, Ford shook it. "Just don't let me catch you running around with illegal tech, eh? I'd hate to have to be the bad guy to an old friend"  
Ford smiled. "Friend? Yeah, you're still the Doctor, alright." He tucked a hand behind him and gave him a salute, but the Doctor shook his head.  
"Bye, Ford"  
Elisa watched him reenter the TARDIS, and she turned to the crew, who seemed back to their normal duties. She smiled at Ford and gave him a quick hug - which he kindly returned - and then followed the Doctor into the blue box. When she closed the doors behind her, he was already dancing around the console, the Improbability Drive nowhere to be seen. She wondered where he'd put it, but decided it was best not to ask. 


	2. Chapter 2

That night, John and Rose Smith were laughing with each other as they walked home, not having bothered to take a car, as the theatre was not that far. It was probably just as well, as neither of them were exactly walking straight.

"After-show cocktails with the cast!" John shouted with joy. "Brilliant! Rose, I swear to God, you are too good to me."

She giggled as they both leaned against each other. "I think you keep forgetting that you don't have the same tolerance of your past self."

"Oh, posh." He looked down at her with a grin. "I could snap right out of this if I wanted to," he assured her. "I merely choose not to."

She giggled again. "Yes, and you could neglect to have a hangover if you wished, too, eh?"

"Aye, I could. But then, that would be wasting an opportunity to spend the morning in bed with my darling, eh?"

She beamed at him as she squeezed him about the middle, resting her head on his shoulder. "Isn't that wizard?" she whispered.

He grinned. "Aye, so wizard." As they tottered down the street, John suddenly stopped, or rather, shuffled to a pause.

Rose turned to him. "Wussa matter, love?"

"She's calling me," he answered, raising his shaking hands towards his head, holding them to his temples. He whispered something, and Rose watched him, still slightly buzzed. "A mental tapping," he said, "From another..." His eyes opened wide. "TARDIS."

"TARDIS? What TARDIS?" Rose echoed, confusion on her face.

"My TARDIS," he said, lowering his hands and looking dumbfounded at the house three doors down, at the garage in which his own device should be sleeping, but was telling him that it was, in a manner of speaking, receiving an incoming call. "And his."

_-*-_

The Doctor looked up every so often at the door that led to the dormitories, but tried to reassure himself that she was still sleeping. After all the running of the day, she was doubtless dog tired. Even if she were to wake, he had no idea as to why it would matter. She wouldn't know where he was.

As he worked around the console - the display was coral, as was the main one - he muttered to himself. He could feel the TARDIS ruffling her proverbial feathers, and was certain she was as anxious as he was.

"Come on, you beauty, work with me," he muttered, taking another glance at the door. He cursed himself for it, and turned back to the Improbability Drive that he had strewn before him. For the past two weeks - or what one could refer to as weeks on the TARDIS - he had been tinkering with the thing, figuring out how exactly it worked, and then after reengineering it to suit his needs. He'd hooked the Drive up to the secondary console so that Elisa wouldn't know - she didn't need to know. She couldn't know. First a wandering Jack, then Ford? He couldn't risk it if any unexpected visitors arrived, and poked about. The secondary console was in a forgotten wing of the TARDIS, no one would ever come here. It was the perfect hiding spot, and yet, he could easily drive the beast as well as he did with the main console - admittedly, barely good enough, for one pilot, and with a cantankerous old machine - and he could even manage to drive it seperately, if he could only...

"Ha!" He dropped the wire triumphantly, screwdriver still in hand, as he leaped up and turned to screen towards him. He pushed a button to update the stats, and gave a triumphant laugh at the result. He beamed at it, throwing a hand through his hair in disbelief.

"'TT contacted,'" he whispered, smiling, reading the screen aloud. He pumped a fist in the air.

"Rose Tyler, I'm coming for you!"

_-*-_

With tears staining her cheeks, Rose watched as he feverishly worked on his machine, a metal computer that encased the coral they had been given so long ago. It was so that he could hopefully make it useable far before the ten years that he said it would normally take. Still, he'd spent months on it, working only on Saturdays, as a rule. He had promised Rose that, though they would travel the stars together again, one day, he would not let it rule his life ever again.

"I have a life with you here, now," he'd said, holding up the infantile lifeform. "This is a promise, but I make another - I will never put this before you ever again, you hear me?"

Now, watching him hurry about it as he had before made her think of his "past life", as they reffered to it, always frantic, working to save the world.

"If I can just reroute the communications..." he growled, twisting his screwdriver as he fought for the right frequency. He slammed it against his open palm. "Work, damn you!"

"C-can I help with anything?"

He looked up at her, the rage still simmering in his eyes, and Rose felt her heart leap into his throat. As he gazed upon her, though, the fire flickered and died. He looked back down at the circuit board in his hand and the screwdriver, and realised what he was doing. He tossed it down, not hard enough to break it, but hard enough to satisfy his need to punish, without inflicting any damage on himself. He buried his head in his hands.

He had promised he would never do this to her again. He would never let his work consume him so. After a moment, when he was once more contained, he looked back at the machine, who realised she had been caught for trying to steal more attention than she rightfully deserved. He sighed, knowing he was caught. It was harder to change than he'd thought. He looked up at Rose with a kind smile, the regret twinkling in the back of his eyes, and it didn't help Rose's fear. Regret was another emotion the Doctor hid in his eyes, and she didn't want to see it in his.

"How 'bout a cuppa, eh?" He tried to give her a bribing smile. "You do make the best."

Her lips twitched at the comment, and she nodded, sniffing quietly to herself as she turned away from the garage door, left open in his zeal to work. When she was gone, he looked back at the tools and gadgetry lying about.

He had given up this chaos. He had made the choice to change, for her, for them. So they could live a real life. A normal, happy, simple life, like he hadn't been able to do as the Doctor. A second chance at what he could have had as John Smith, back in 1913, only this time, he'd do it right. That was what he'd decided so long ago. Well, it was only months, but...

So many happy moments. So much time together - it felt like years, like he'd been with her forever, in a good way, and he liked that. He liked that he could spend every chance he had with her. Sure, occasionally he was needed as a consultant by any extraterrestrial agency on this Earth, but that was all he allowed himself. That, and his little tinkerings on Saturdays. He spent his meals and teatimes and bedtimes and holidays with Rose, and that was how it should be.

With a sigh, he gathered it all up, but decided, with all the connections, it would be wasteful to take it all apart and put it away, so he placed the circuit boards and such and deposited them on top of the machine, and covered it with the sheet. He replaced his tools - all except the sonic screwdriver. Like before, he kept it with him at all times - it was infinitely useful, as primitive as it was compared to his last one, but useful nonetheless. And after carrying it around for so long, he felt naked without it.

When he'd cleaned everything up, he locked the door behind him, a familiar longing in his gut, telling him he should keep working, keep going until he got the message that was trying to come through. And yet, his heart and his head told him that Rose was what was important now, not the Doctor, and he would keep to his word. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he turned away.


	3. Chapter 3

_TT is contacted._

The Doctor nodded, his face indescribable -- the grin that was smeared across it was quite unbelievable.

_TT is contacted._

His grin faded a bit. "Yeah, I know. TT is contacted, I know. Continue."

_TT is contacted._

With a growl of rage he turned back to the pile of rubbish he'd collected and got out his mallet. With a roar of fury he banged as hard as he could on the secondary console, and he heard the TARDIS give a screech in his mind. "Work, damn you!"

The screen fuzzed out for a moment, and then the message was back.

Unchanged.

"TT is contacted, I know! Why won't you connect?!" He pulled out his screwdriver, expertly shifting it to the right frequency without problem, and directing the fiery light towards the machine. She cried out in her own defense -- it wasn't her fault -- she had made contact, just like he wanted -- it was there, just there, but...

With a snarl, the Doctor quit. "It's not there yet," he hissed under his voice. "Why isn't it there?" It would be... _months_, with the time continuum differentiations -- not being able to go back for a certain period of time, blah blah. Still, months since Rose and... _him_ were... _there_, wherever they were on that other Earth, that other world. Months! He could have had that thing going in two or three -- it must have been... seven, nine, even thirteen, if he aimed right. So why wasn't it working?

"Why isn't it working?" he hissed, his desperation clear. The TARDIS tried to shoo the thought of them, embracing, stealing a kiss -- them, her and him, who'd said the right answer -- the thought of them sitting with small children -- a Rose pregnant with a mini -- _out_, she tried to push it, _out out out OUT!!!_

"NOOO!!!" he roared, aiming another beam at the TARDIS, causing her to scream once more with pain. "That is MINE! It is mine to keep and to cherish and to hold! You do NOT take that away from me!"

He stormed out of the console, but she was still there, buzzing in the back of his mind. He held his hands to his head as he marched through the corridors, grumbling curses and threats and spells to himself -- anything to make her go away.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD," he finally hissed savagely, and there was a note of shock before the TARDIS let go, her presence melting away from him, feeling like fingers trailing down the edge of his mind, and then away into nothingness. He had wanted silence, but now it was only numbness. He stopped, looking around as the lights slowly flickered out and he found himself suddenly and frightfully alone and in the dark. She'd finally gone.

_-*-_

The clock on the bedside table read 3:29. Rose Tyler was sleeping fitfully beside him, but John Smith was wide awake. In fact, he'd never been this awake before in his entire stay here on this Earth with Rose. Mind, that was because, normally, they helped each other get a very good night's sleep, but not tonight. Tonight, he had been her Comforter, after being her Torturer. That damn Doctor had been a horrible, nasty, _miserable_ little asshole of a bastard, to be mild. It was hard to be truly furious, with the angel lying with him, but _he_ was one of the few people that could actually make John Smith mad -- that _Doctor_, that horrible, miserable, _cruel_ Time Lord, who did nothing but float around time and space in his TARDIS, telling others what he thought was best for them, then playing Indian Giver when he decided what _he wanted_ was more important.

Like now, with Rose. Smith had a light mental connection with the TARDIS — nothing compared to the Doctor's, mind — and he could hear her calling him, sharing in the stubbornness and selfishness that the Doctor had undoubtedly unknowingly endowed her with. Or was it perhaps the nature of Gallifrey? Perhaps the TARDIS and the Doctor couldn't help their essences of superiority.

Smith scowled. That would be too kind, giving them an excuse. No, they would both learn their place, and here, on this planet, in this world, with these humans — no. With _us_ — John Smith was determined to do as he was designed to do, and be a human companion for Rose. Although he had the Doctor's memories, he was not a Time Lord, and he never would be. He would grow old and die, right along with the precious angel sleeping beside him, already aged beyond her years. He would not follow his past mistakes.

So, among us, then. The Doctor and the TARDIS were both outsiders — they had no place here, and they ought to respect that. Even as the sentient machine cooed into the night, calling for him, he stayed his ground, here beside Rose. She knew very well she only had Saturdays, and yet, she tempted him, every night, calling to him. It was easy to ignore her when he had Rose — lively, living, physical, passionate, lovely Rose — to capture all of his being, all of his desires, but now, with Rose in such a state, tired and shocked back into the being she was when they first arrived here — well, he knew well how hard it had been for her to get back into normal life, and he could still see the wanderlust in her eyes from time to time. He had to get that machine done before their lives ran out, so that she could see the stars one last time, but only in due time.

…But _damn_, how she called!

She cooed his name in his mind — his real name, his Gallifreyan name. She called him, saying, _Come to me… Why won't you come? Wouldn't you like to play?_He stared resolutely at the wall, sending the blank image to the TARDIS to ruffle her feathers, and ruffle them she did. _It's so boring!_ she called. _Why don't you come play with me instead? I can see the stars…___

_Yes, you're going to see stars if you don't shut up and go to sleep_, he growled in reply.

She bristled. _You're gonna hit me with the hammer again?_ She gave a 'hmph!" _And I thought you were excited about that fellow who called earlier…_

"You know nothing—!" Smith caught himself, clapping a hand over his mouth as he looked to Rose with worry. She stirred lightly, but after a moment, settled down once again. Smith scowled at the night. _You know nothing about that 'fellow', as you call him_, Smith growled to the TARDIS, mentally kicking himself for the outcry. Fortunately, the TARDIS could only tap at him in her present state, and was not fully in his mind to see his self-ridicule. It might give her unneeded ammunition against him. _Hush and go to sleep!_

The TARDIS stewed at the command, a rebellious little one, but danced around it. _Then enlighten me_, she replied coyly. _Who were they?_ Doubtless, she was thinking of the other TARDIS as a person — not too unreasonable, seeing as how she'd never met a sentient creature that wasn't a "person". It was still some time until she'd be able to join her sentience with him, and learn all that Smith and Rose knew of the world.

Smith opened his mouth to answer before stopping himself. How did one explain the Doctor simply to a child? Because that was what his TARDIS was, at present. _He's the one who gave you to us_, he answered.

_Oh?_ she answered, curious. _Then why didn't you try to get his call through? He has another of my kind!_ she added with excitement — this was what she'd stayed up and waited to talk to him for. _Will I get to meet another one of me?_

The anticipation in her voice gripped at his solitary heart. He knew well what it felt like to be alone. What it felt like to be the only one left of your kind. _I don't know_, he answered honestly. But if the Doctor could somehow contact his TARDIS… _You might, one day._

_Really? When!_ Her excitement was torturous — why did he have to answer these questions? It would be much easier as a Time Lord —

And suddenly a though occurred to him — The Chameleon Arc. In 1913, when hiding from the Family of Blood, he'd used it to hide as a human with Martha — "oh, that tricky Devil!"

His eyes widened as he realized he'd spoken again, and covered his mouth again when Rose stirred, this time giving a light moan. Smith leaned against her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You alright, love?"

She frowned at the time and blearily looked up at him. "Why are you up at half past three, love?" she asked him, then let out a deep yawn. His eyes softened at the motion, and he couldn't help but smile.

"That TARDIS has been bugging me. But, I've thought of something."

She looked to him. "What?"

That cheeky grin. "Chameleon Arc."

She gave him a confused look. "Disguise for the TARDIS?" she asked.

"Nah, that's the Chameleon _Circuit_. The Chameleon _Arc_ disguises _Time Lords_." He continued beaming at her, waiting for her to connect the dots.

Instead, she frowned at him. She reached up and kissed him and then snuggled back up and said, "Go to bed, love. You're talking madness. And I don't do madness before ten"

He chuckled. "Alright, dearest. Nighty night." He curled up beside her, beaming at his brainburst. When the TARDIS tapped at his mind again, he replied,_Worry not, little one, you may well see a fellow soon_.

_-*-_

When Elisa awoke, the light of the TARDIS began to glow around her. She gave a yawn, but smiled up at the ceiling. "'Morning, love." The machine chirrupped in her mind, and she dressed as usual. When she made her way to the console -- each step guided by the TARDIS' shine -- she was startled to find it was dark. Even when she stepped into the room, the light stayed behind her. In the dark, she could see a vague bit of motion from the other side, though the engine itself was dead.

Elisa immediately became worried. "Doctor? Are you in here?"

"Yeah, I'm here," she heard his voice echo from below her, irate. There was the snap of something as he continued working on whatever it was he was doing.

She stepped carefully into the room. "I see the lights are out," she tried, hoping for more information."

"Yeah, they are," he replied, shortly. "You're a bright one, ain'tcha?"

At that she glared. "You may be absent-minded, but you're never this rude, and it's never this dark," she spat back. "What is wrong?"

She heard a tired sigh, and then his somber reply.

"The TARDIS is gone."


End file.
